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Archive for » February, 2009 «

Feb

Weekly Recipe — Shrimp in Sherry Butter Sauce

Recipes calling for sherry–dry sherry–are a weakness of mine. Toss in some shrimp and some butter and it’s just this side of heaven for me. Today’s recipe comes from the Epicurious website and its Shrimp in Sherry Butter Sauce.

Shrimp is always a good choice for a quick meal. It marinates in no time and cooks fast. It’s a perfect choice for a weekday meal. This recipe does take longer, but your time is spent waiting for your stock to reduce. No matter. Have a glass of wine, relax, dinner can wait a bit.

The recipe calls for nice fresh ingredients like parsley and thyme. Don’t skip on the fresh herbs. It also calls for a bay leaf. I like to use maybe half of one so as not to overwhelm the flavor. Now this recipe, I will admit right off, is not necessarily diet friendly with all the butter. However, this is where I do cut some of the fat without compromising the taste.

Make sure and get raw shrimp. Since you need the shells, you do have to de-vein the shrimp. I know, I hate that part too, but the end result is worth it. A nice chardonnay will complete your gourmet meal. Bon appetit! Photo by Lisa Hubbard

Weekly Recipe Shrimp in Sherry Butter Sauce

Category: Foods and Recipes Tags: shrimp, weekly recipe Comments off

Feb

Review: GTDAgenda

Chris

We’re all about saving these days, whether it be money or time. Our ROI or return on investment is very important. We want to stay ahead.

Followers of this blog know that productivity is a pet subject of mine. I’ve tried out so many web applications and software programs. I recently had the opportunity to review another web application, GTDAgenda.

Like many productivity applications, GTDAgenda uses the get it done strategy with next actions to focus on completing goals. It’s a very effective strategy because it works. Your set up includes creating goals, projects within the goals, and a task list. Tasks can be identified as next action steps.

GTDAgenda has some nice features sure to help anyone’s planning process. You can select the application’s start page, a nice way to have those next actions in your face. If you have set daily or weekly routines, you can schedule your reoccurring tasks.

What I really like about its web interface is its checklist section. Many are motivated by the chain of completed tasks. You can view your progress too with a weekly graph. If this type of interface works for you, you’ll like GTDAgenda.

Part of the motivation behind using a web application is its portable. Assuming you’ve memorized your login or you use a program like Mozilla’s Weave or FireFox plugin, Foxmarks, you can keep track of your goals at any computer. GTDAgenda also has a mobile interface which is quite nice and easy to use. No excuses now for not having your to do list handy.

Overall, GTDAgenda is a handy, slick productivity application worth checking out.

Category: Motivation Tags: productivity Comments off

Feb

Art To Soothe the Soul

Chris

I am a visual person. As an artist, how could I not? Art inspires me, it soothes my soul.

In these tough economic times, having that escape can be vital to your well-being. Sometimes we need to take a mental break from reality and find peace on another level. I found my release through art. You don’t have to create art to find that similar release, though I can highly recommend its therapeutic values.

Art can take you places if just by immersing yourself in an image. Travel the streets of Russia with Liudmila Kondakova. Run through beech forests with Richard Redgrave. Travel the high seas with John Constable. Art has this amazing quality of creating a sense of place. If you allow art to work its magic, you will be transported to new worlds.

If the economy has you down, don’t despair. Give yourself permission to take a mental vacation. The issues will be there when you return. However, you will come back to them mentally refreshed with a new perspective.